We love beer for its long list of well-known benefits. It’s tasty. It makes us considerably funnier. It gives us the confidence we need to talk to attractive people. And it tastes really, really good.
What many don’t know about though, is beer’s long list of health benefits. Yes, you read that right. Beer is seriously good for you, and we have the research to prove it. After reading this article, you’ll never have to feel bad about drinking a beer or two a day again.
Just make sure to drink moderately. Excessive drinking has been found to reverse the effects of these health benefits.
Beer Helps Your Kidneys Out
Don’t want to experience the mind-numbing pain that is passing a kidney stone? Then drink up! Finnish researchers found that each bottle of beer that their subjects drank every day was estimated to reduce the risk of kidney stones by 40 percent. Now that’s pretty amazing.
Though the researchers aren’t exactly sure why beer helps your kidneys so much, they speculate that increased trips to the bathroom may help keep your kidneys healthy. We may also have hops to thank. Hops help slow the release of calcium to the bone, reducing the risk that calcium becomes a kidney stone.
Beer is Good for the Heart
Wine usually gets the spotlight when it comes to heart health, but moderately drinking beer has been found to be very beneficial to the heart. Research by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reported that drinking one or two drinks a day results in a sharp decrease in heart disease of about 40 to 60 percent.
Another analysis, published in the European Journal of Epidemiology, found that those who drank about a pint of beer every day were 31 percent less likely to suffer from heart attacks, strokes or heart disease than people who don’t drink at all.
Beer Improves Your Sight
Though beer is infamous for giving drinkers beer goggles, moderate drinking can actually help your eyes out. Researchers in Canada and the United States found that beer, especially darker ales and stouts, may reduce cataracts by as much as 50 percent. Darker beers are better for your eyes than lighter ones because they are loaded with antioxidants.
Beer Keeps Your Bones Strong
Who needs milk? Having a cold brew one or two times a day may improve bone strength and health. Researchers at Tufts University found that the silicon in beer contributed to higher bone density scores in those men who drank one or two beers a day. Hipbone mineral density in these men was significantly greater than those who didn’t drink.
Beer Reduces Your Risk of Developing Arthritis
Ladies, if you’re not drinking beer, it’s time to start. In a study published in Arthritis & Rheumatology, researchers recently found that women who drank beer two to three times a week had a 31 percent decrease in rheumatoid arthritis risk when compared to women who never drink beer.
Beer Gets Your Creative Juices Flowing
Finally, we have proof that beer makes you smart (creatively speaking). In a study published in Consciousness and Cognition, men who drank two pints of beer each were asked to solve a creative puzzle, along with men who hadn’t drunk a thing (poor souls). The men who drank ended up solving 40 percent more of the problems, and did so more quickly, than those who didn’t drink. Next time you’re having trouble being creative, try sipping on a pint or two.
